Posted on 04/06/2007 6:47:11 PM PDT by TheRedSoxWinThePennant
BOSTON - A Massachusetts judge issued a temporary restraining order on Friday barring federal officials from deporting a large bloc of illegal immigrants snared in a New Bedford factory raid last month and now being held at Texas detention centers.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Stearns granted the emergency request from lawyers for the detained immigrants, who argued that about 110 of 360 workers arrested may have agreed to waive an appeal of their deportation order under duress or with improper translators.
The restraining order lasts for 10 days and does not apply to detainees that already had been ordered deported before they were arrested in the March 6 raid at the Michael Bianco Inc. factory that makes equipment and apparel for the U.S. military.
Attorneys for the detainees argue that federal immigration officials tried to hurry the deportation process and separate the former Massachusetts workers from their lawyers and families by taking many of them to holding centers in Port Isabel, near Harlingen, Texas, and to El Paso, in some cases hours after the raid.
Bernard J. Bonn III, an attorney for the detainees, said the judge may be disenchanted by the government’s haste in ordering the mostly indigenous Central American factory workers to leave the country.
”I think he was troubled by the government not being more flexible in this,” Bonn said.
At the emergency hearing Friday, Mark Grady, an assistant U.S. attorney, argued that Massachusetts had limited bed space to hold detained immigrants and their removal was not meant to manipulate the process of deporation.
”Instead of those in New Bedford, you’d simply have the next 250 aliens in Massachusetts shipped to Texas,” Grady said.
Stearns’ order also requires the government to turn over a list of all names and locations of immigrants held outside of Massachusetts who have voluntarily agreed to deportation. The ruling also requires the government to allow lawyers to meet with those detainees to make sure they fully understand their rights.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have continually said they have not denied legal counsel to any of the detainees. An ICE official was not immediately reached for comment on the judge’s order.
© Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
How’d they get clear up there?
What part of “illegal” does this “Judge” not understand??????
Shees!
The crimmigrants are winning.
They always do!
You know I wont even look it up. But I am willing to bet this judge was a Clintoon appointee
Texas will buy them some food just as soon as the money from Taxachussetts gets here each day...
This twisted liberalism is killing America. Total liberal insanity -— these people ARE CRIMINALS and have broken federal law in more ways than one. Now if you and I break laws, we go to jail, especially if we are not a liberal voter. But, no, not these illegal criminals.
There are now TWO AMERICAS. The real America and its laws and rules that apply to U.S. citizens -— and the other America, in which if you provide either votes or campaign contributions to politicians, you do not have to obey ANY laws and you are subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer.
A real ugly picture.
Yeah right when all else fails no speaka da English when you all stand over me/us.
Uglier every day!
this is a liberal judge, he makes his own laws.
Huh? Flexible in what? They are here ILLEGALLY. The government is now supposed to make a "deal" with them?
Well this sure did the job. Imho, the judge is also the criminal. Come to think of it so is our govt for not enforcing the laws we have on the books.
THE JUDGE: U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns once fancied becoming FBI director. Instead, the former prosecutor got appointed to the federal bench by old pal Bill Clinton, whom he’d met while they were Rhodes Scholars. The Harvard Law grad remains socially connected to legal heavies like Laurence Tribe and his plugged-in wife, Carolyn. But don’t expect to get to know Stearns beyond courtroom sketches: Cameras are a no-no in federal court.
How about if we deport the judge?
That’s right another liberal leftist judge on the bench. GGGGrrrrrrr!!!!
I am shocked just shocked /sarcasm
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